1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of masking devices in general, and in particular to a drop cloth construction that is specifically designed to cover railings and bannisters during painting.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,263,355; 4,691,409; 5,441,769; and 5,658,632, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse specialized paint masking devices used to cover certain interior surfaces during painting.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical construction for covering the tops and sides of railings and bannisters during painting.
As it stands right now, the common practice is to tape sheets of newspaper over the top and sides of railings and bannisters during painting to prevent paint drops and splatters from marring those surfaces. Unfortunately, this is a time consuming and messy task, not only during the masking installation phase, but also during the removal phase when the surface of the adhesive tape has a tendency to come into contact with and adhere to the finished surfaces of the railing or bannister.
Furthermore, the reason that most people have adopted the tedious newspaper approach is due to the simple fact that conventional drop cloths are too big and bulky for covering such a discrete area. Plus, they tend to become a hazard to workmen when they are used for this particular purpose, since they invariably obstruct stairs and walkways when installed over the railings and bannisters.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved reusable drop coth construction that is specifically designed to be quickly and easily installed and removed from a railing and/or bannister, and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention.